formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 5:22

If translators begin a new section here, it will be a good idea to start the verse with something like “Moses said to the people:….” This Handbook, however, recommends that a new section begin with verse 23.

All your assembly means “all of you who were together [or, gathered].” See 4.10-13 for this verse.

With a loud voice: Yahweh spoke loudly enough for everybody to hear him.

And he added no more: these are all the “words” (commandments) that Yahweh gave directly to the people at Mount Sinai (see 4.13; 9.10; 10.4).

And then he wrote them upon two tables of stone: in modern English “tablets” is used (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, and others) instead of tables (see also 4.13). In the nature of the case the verb “to write” may not be appropriate for what is engraved or inscribed on stone; so something like “carved” or “inscribed” may be better.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .